ARCH 7046 - Construction Management and Technology I

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2021

This course is designed to explore the management of building and civil engineering projects in the following aspects: health and safety, scheduling, stakeholder management, and materials. These are critical success factors in building and civil engineering projects. This course will examine management strategies designed to address these critical issues throughout the life cycle of projects.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ARCH 7046
    Course Construction Management and Technology I
    Coordinating Unit School of Architecture and Built Environment
    Term Semester 2
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Course Description This course is designed to explore the management of building and civil engineering projects in the following aspects: health and safety, scheduling, stakeholder management, and materials. These are critical success factors in building and civil engineering projects. This course will examine management strategies designed to address these critical issues throughout the life cycle of projects.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Professor Jian Zuo

    STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
    Please respect the facilities throughout the University.

    In the School of Architecture and Built Environment students are required to fabricate models, projects and other hands-on creative activities. Of course, you will make a mess in the process! No problem! Please clean up after yourself. If the materials are recyclable and you don't want to reuse them yourself, put them in the recycling bins. Don't leave paper/cardboard/offcuts on the floor or table, put them in the bin. Don't leave broken blades etc. on tables, put them in a sharps bin. Don't leave work (models, drawings etc) in a space (tutorial room, computer lab, studio) and expect to find it when you come back. The facilities are shared. The School recommends that you store your work in a locker available from ASA or in Hub Central.

    The tables in the learning and teaching spaces (tutorial rooms, computer labs, studios) are NOT cutting mats. Would you use an exacto knife or a scalpel to cut model making materials directly on your dining table at home? No? Don't do it at the University. Use a cutting mat. If you don't have one, buy one. All students should have a cutting mat in their Equipment Kit. You are expected to bring this with you if you are model-making, using glue etc.

    Students are permitted to bring food and drink into the learning and teaching spaces. Please respect your peers. When you have finished your bottle of water, coffee cup, bubble tea, Coke, juice, Boost, Red Bull etc. etc. put it in the bin. Don't leave your takeaway meal festering on a table cultivating mould. Put it in the bin.

    The importance of hygiene and cleanliness is amplified during COVID 19. Respect your peers. Respect your facilities. Please clean up after yourself at all times. This is your responsibility.



    SUBMISSIONS
    All details about the individual assignment submissions and online participation tasks will be provided on MyUni / Canvas.

    Please note the following general points about Submissions:

    General
    All submissions must include Student Name and Student ID Number. Submissions without Student Name or ID Number will not be considered for marking, and will receive zero marks in accordance with the guidelines.

    Please adhere to submission deadlines and follow instructions provided.

    Students must not submit work for an assignment that has previously been submitted for this course or any other course without prior approval from the Course Coordinator.

    On occasion, the lecturer/tutor may wish to retain students’ work for future reference and the relevant student will be informed at such a time.

    Early Submission:
    There is an early submission box located on Level 4 which is cleared out daily at 10am. Please mark your submission clearly before placing in box. Online submissions can be made prior to the due date.

    Models for in-class presentation cannot be handed in early.

    Late Submission:
    The school will NOT accept late submissions and any such assignment will receive zero marks. This also applies to electronic submissions.

    Printing delays & hard disk crashes will not be entertained as legitimate causes for delay, so please ensure that the work is finished in advance. Online submissions can also take time when file sizes are large and this can result in delayed submissions. The School recommends submissions < 50MB.

    Re-submission:
    The school has a resubmission policy whereby students can redeem failed work by submitting additional work for a maximum of 50%.

    Good practice:
    Students should ensure that they regularly backup their work on multiple locations as hard-disk crashes are an unfortunate reality. When relying on community printing facilities, students should attempt to finish their work in advance to avoid unnecessary delays. Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted (digital or hardcopy), as originals may be lost during the submission process.

    For modified arrangements of submission and assessment due to special circumstances see the following Assessment Task Extension(s) & Additional Assessment guidelines.

    Modified Arrangements (General)
    Students can apply for extensions or modified arrangements based on Medical conditions or other Extenuating circumstances. However, students need to submit their application along with supporting documents within 5 business days of the condition becoming applicable.

    The application form (the 'Blue Form') is available from the Front Office and needs to be submitted at the Front Office along with any supporting documentation. It is not sufficient, for example, just to submit a medical certificate. If you are sick a medical certificate needs to be appended to the Blue Form.

    Please note that submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance and the Course Coordinator will inform the applicant if the application is accepted. Please DO NOT contact the Course Coordinator directly.

    Medical Reasons:
    In case of an extended medical condition which makes it impossible for the student to submit the work on time, an Application for Assessment Task Extension due to Medical Circumstances (Blue Form) may be lodged with the Front Office along with a doctor’s certificate within 5 business days.

    Extenuating Circumstances:
    If the student is unable to submit the work on time due to extenuating circumstances an Application for Assessment Task Extension due to Extenuating Circumstances (Blue Form) may be lodged with the Front Office. Please note that this is only available for certain military, religious, or legal obligations and does not extend to minor personal problems.

    Compassionate Grounds:
    In case of certain extraordinary personal problems students can apply for extensions based on compassionate grounds (Blue Form). However, these must first be discussed with the Course Coordinator in person through appointment during the assigned office hours.

    Student Support:
    For a full range of student support services visit https://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/

    Additional Assessment:
    If a student receives a Fail grade for the course with an overall mark between 45 and 49, they may be eligible for an Offer of Additional Assessment which would allow them to get a maximum of 50 Pass for the Course.

    Additional Assessment offers are made by the School and the student will be informed directly once these are made available.

    Disability:
    Students who have a disability and wish to seek modified submission or assessment arrangements can contact the
    University Disability Services at https://www.adelaide.edu.au/disability/ and then communicate this to the Course Coordinator in person by appointment.

    Elite Athlete:
    Students who have national/international sporting commitments and wish to seek modified submission or assessment
    arrangements need to register with the University Elite Athlete Support Scheme at https://www.adelaide.edu.au/eliteathletes/ and then communicate this to the Course Coordinator in person by appointment.
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    Refer to MyUni for more information.
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

    1. Develop and implement risk management strategies for construction projects and organizations for complex building and engineering projects
    2. Differentiate various procurement routes and select the appropriate procurement method for simple building and engineering projects
    3. Critically examine planning, execution and control problems in (professional practice) scheduling and explain their interaction with cost and resources management for simple building and engineering projects.
    4. Identify and manage stakeholders in the construction sector and the project environment
    5. Identify key principles of sustainable development and the role of sustainable construction technologies
    6. Critically examine the resource efficiency issues (e.g. reuse and recycled materials, energy efficiency) in building and civil engineering projects
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1,2,3,4,5,6
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    4,5,6
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    3,4,5
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    3,4,5,6
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    1,3,4,5
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    1,4,5
  • Learning Resources
    Recommended Resources
    Please refer to MyUni for details of recommended readings and websites

    The following texts are suggested reading for this subject:
    • McGeorge, D., & Zou, P. X. (2012). Construction management: new directions. John Wiley & Sons.
    • Glavinich, T. E., & Taylor, T. A. (2008). Contractor's guide to green building construction: management, project delivery, documentation, and risk reduction. John Wiley.
    • Kibert, C. J. (2016). Sustainable construction: green building design and delivery. John Wiley & Sons.

    Following journals are suggested reading for this subject:
    • Journal of Cleaner Production
    • Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
    • Journal of Management in Engineering
    • Building and Environment
    • International Journal of Project Management
    • Energy and Buildings
    • Applied Energy
    • Project Management Journal
    • Construction Management and Economics
    • Facilities
    • Journal of Green Building
    • Energy Policy

    Other locations for resources will be distributed during lectures.


    Speaker Series:
    The School has a fortnightly lecture series where respected practitioners and academics from the field deliver a public lecture on contemporary architectural practice. In order to expand your knowledge of contemporary directions in design it is recommended that you attend these sessions. The exact detail of dates and speakers is available from the School website and the Front Office.
    Online Learning
    University Email:
    The school uses the University email system to get in touch with the students. So it is imperative that you check your email regularly and keep up to date with any new announcements.

    MyUni:
    MyUni is an essential online tool which will be used to communicate information regarding the course including details of assignments and interim grades. There are many other learning resources and assessment pieces that rely on the MyUni system for delivery. Therefore it is recommended that you familiarise yourself with the various functions of MyUni and employ it to its fullest extent. https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au

    Discussion Board:
    The MyUni Discussion Board can be used to interact with other students and tutors and is an essential tool to discuss information and increase your understanding of issues.

    Lecture Recording:
    In certain cases the recording of the lectures is made available in electronic format for students to listen through on their own time and make notes, and is provided through the MyUni system. However, this service is only available for lectures with essential course content and may not include guest lectures. Furthermore, where the presentation content is subject to copyright or the guest speaker is uncomfortable with the recording of the content, the lecture recording will not be made available online. So students should not rely solely on this mode of learning and arrange to attend or get lecture content from peers.

    Noticeboard / Handbook:
    General information about the activities at the School is available online from the Student Noticeboard which can be accessed at
    https://unified.adelaide.edu.au/group/professons-studentarchitecture/ current-student
    Students can also access a copy of the Student Handbook at the following link:
    https://unified.adelaide.edu.au/group/professons-student-architecture/enrolments
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The learning and teaching strategy is an active learning one, using a range of problems, application and case studies. The contents of this course will be delivered in forms of lecture, tutorial and workshops. Principles of construction project management will be covered in 1-hour lecture on a weekly basis. This will be followed by 2-hour tutorial which is designed to allow students to practice those principles introduced during the lecture sessions. Case studies will enrich student’s understanding of managing these various issues in building and civil engineering projects. Workshops are designed to facilitate students’ communication skills such as risk reporting and sustainability disclosure.

    The approach to assessment is one of integration with teaching and “assessment for learning” rather than of learning. Students will receive feedback progressively throughout the semester. Deadlines for assessment will be strictly enforced which will provide an overall framework for the semester of study.

    The teaching and learning arrangements for this semester:
    > All lectures will be online. Most of lecture notes will be pre-recorded and uploaded to MyUni site so that students can watch on-demand. Guest lectures could be the exceptions.
    > Tutorials will be online through Zoom for Week 1-9 and face-to-face for week 10-12.










    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
    The University expects full-time students (ie. those taking 12 units per semester) to devote at least 48 hours per week to their studies. Accordingly, students undertaking this 3 unit course are expected to devote 12 hours per week to contact activities and self-guided studies.

    Based on this framework here are some figures that might assist workload management:

    For a 3 unit course:
    Total workload hours: 12 Hrs per week x 13 weeks = 156 Hrs
    Total contact hours: 3 Hrs per week x 12 weeks = 36 Hrs
    Total self-guided study: 156 Hrs – 36 Hrs = 120 Hrs

    These 120 hours should be used towards preparation of weekly tasks and for completion of the various assignments associated with the course, including development of various skills required to complete the same. Please organise your time wisely.

    This is a 3 unit course. Recommended study commitments are meant to be hours of full time study, not just sitting thinking about the subject! The communication skills developed by regularly and actively participating in discussions are considered to be most important by the School and are highly regarded by employers and professional bodies.
    Learning Activities Summary
    Essential information on construction project management concepts and approaches, definitions of activities, management strategies, analysis techniques and contemporary issues will be dealt with by structured lecture and tutorial sessions. Tutorial sessions are featured with problem based/case study exercises. The approach is progressive, building upon fundamental concepts and knowledge acquisition with increasingly complex problem based exercises.

    In lecture sessions, following aspects of construction management and technology in building and civil engineering projects will be discussed: risk management, procurement, scheduling, stakeholder management, sustainable construction technologies and resource efficiency. Students will be encouraged to relate these principles to the real life projects through reading academic papers and resources from the professional bodies such as Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, The Chartered Institute of Building, and Australian Institute of Building. In tutorial sessions, students will work in groups to use their skills and knowledge to tackle these construction management and technology related issues.

    Students will be encouraged to consult specific professional body’s website such as Green Building Council Australia to identify issues associated with green building and sustainable construction. International perspectives will be introduced by comparing to other sustainability rating tools such as LEED (US) and BREEAM (UK).
    Specific Course Requirements
    Failure to attend teaching due to medical, compassionate or extenuating circumstances is dealt with the School Policy, administered by the School Office. Submit the appropriate application for supplementary consideration together with the original signed medical or other relevant officer, to the School Office. If you foresee a problem contact the Course Coordinator BEFORE the problem actually occurs. Otherwise, contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible and submit the appropriate application for supplementary consideration to the School Office.

    Please pay attention to following policies:
    fieldtrips: Field Work policy and guidelines (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/hr/ohs/handbook/); and
    insurance information (https://www.adelaide.edu.au/legalandrisk/insurance/information/);
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Weighting Due Learning Outcome
    Class Quiz 1 Summative 20% Week 5 1,2,3
    Individual assignment Summative 20% Week 9 1,3,4,5
    Class Quiz 2 Summative 35% Week 11 1,2,3
    Group assignment Summative 25% Week 13 1,2,3,4,5,6
    Total 100%
    Assessment Detail
    Refer to MyUni for more information.
    Submission
    All assignments must be submitted through MyUni site. Note that NO LATE submissions will be accepted unless it is due to illness and other accepted circumstances as explained in the School's Student Handbook.

    Submissions (General):
    All submissions must include Student Name and Student ID Number. Submissions without Student Name or ID Number will not be considered for marking, and will receive zero marks in accordance with the guidelines.

    In addition, all assignments need to have an Assignment Cover Sheet which must be signed and dated by the student before submission. Please attach the cover sheet in front of the document, to the top left hand corner.

    Please adhere to submission deadlines and follow instructions provided.

    Students must not submit work for an assignment that has previously been submitted for this course or any other course without prior approval from the Course Coordinator.

    On occasion, the lecturer/tutor may wish to retain students’ work for future reference and the relevant student will be informed at such a time.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.